It really is that exciting.

Last week, a couple in their early twenties arrived at the museum, jovially arguing about who would pay for the other's admission.  Apparently, they'd spent a successful morning at the casino and had decided to celebrate by...wait...can you guess?  Visiting the Southern Food and Beverage Museum.  Instead of a nice lunch, or a cold beer, they headed straight to the museum.

To me, this illustrates the excitement people feel about the museum.  And the excitement really is warranted.  Last week, we hosted a culinary camp for kids.  Every morning, children were walking through the museum with dough-covered hands, discussing the merits of a good, home-made root beer.  We also added a couple new things to the museum experience.  There is now a place to taste and vote for sweetened or unsweetened tea.  (I voted unsweetened.)  There is also a place to do the same with pure coffee and coffee with chicory.  (Chicory, definitely.) Besides the camp and all the things that are changing in the museum, there are also the events that happen outside the museum.

Last week, there was a dinner at the Ritz Carlton with Jacques Puisais, called "The Philosophy of Taste."  During the dinner, diners were challenged to treat the three courses as a play in three acts, with the actors being the food and wine.  The action of the play was the way all of these "actors" interacted with each other.  For example, my wine thought she was happy, until she met my beef.  Then she discovered real happiness.  My lobster claw was charmed to meet my citrus beurre blanc, but when Louis XV met my tiny glass of grappa, a little war ensued.  (Perhaps you had to be there.)

At any rate, if I did not work at the museum, and ended up with about ten extra dollars in my pocket, from gambling or whatever, I would totally celebrate at the museum.  It really is that exciting.

it's a hard-knock life

Getting the museum open was exhausting and exhilarating. I thought that once we were open, I could get "caught up" on bills, laundry, seeing friends, you know, the other part of my life. No dice. I was still coming home to dogs that looked at me querying "Who are you, again?" but whenever I mentioned this to friends and they would ask why I was so busy, I had to fess up. "Um, I have this cocktail party to go to at Liz's for Jacques Puisais. I'm bringing cheese straws." followed by "Oh, yeah, and then there's this dinner at the Ritz," and then the next day "OMG the Louis XV was AWESOME and then I danced with Mr. Puisais," to explain why I was zonked out. There I was, eating a delicious meal for work. Ah, hard, hard work.

And it is good that these kinds of moments and days and weeks happen. Maybe not so good for the liver, but the perks, they rock. But I gotta tell you what the biggest perk is: other people getting excited about the museum who don't have to. Mr Puisais was really impressed. His visit was followed by the volunteer meeting where people I do not know (not friends strong-armed into showing up) arrived early on a Saturday morning to tell me they planned on helping make sure this museum succeeded FOR FREE. Their presence merely echoed the support and encouragement we have received over the last 4 years, nudging us along in this quest to build this institution. And if I had to, I'd trade all the booze, cheese and chocolate for that kind of aid. But luckily, I don't have to. Yep, it's a hard hard life....

Looking forward to Jacques Puisais

On Saturday afternoon (yesterday) Jacques Puisais, the famous oenophile and founder of the Institute of Taste in Paris, spoke at SoFAB. Appropriately, he spoke in the Tasting Room. He talked about the personal experience that is taste and the fact that until you put something in your mouth, taste is only potential. Puisais is in his eighties and has devoted a great deal of his career as a scientist (he holds a PhD in chemistry) to the development of the theory of taste. It is fascinating to hear an intellectual presentation of taste. Like a discussion of art, music or literature, taste has an emotional component and an intellectual one. We seldom examine the intellectual side.

If you are looking for a chance to hear Jacques Puisais discuss his theories in an entertaining venue while eating and drinking a menu that he has prepared, I recommend the dinner at the Ritz Carlton on Thursday. He will take over the restaurant, Melange, and present an opportunity to think about the pleasures of the table. See you there!